Browse Exhibits (4 total)
Columns, Colonnades, and Arches
There are many types of columns from around the world. The Egyptians had their own style of columns as did most of the Middle Eastern civilizations. However, the Greeks invented the famous classical orders of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. In his work, De Architectura, Roman writer Marcus Vituvius Pollio gives the creation myths of these columns (chapter 4, 3-7). Ionic capitals are much more decorative than the Doric, which are much more basic in design. Ionic capitals are not as ornate as Corinthian capitals, which have an acanthus leaf design. Corinthian capitals were usually the preferred style of capitals by the Romans.
Vituvius gives the height, dimensions, and proportions of the columns, capitals and bases. According to him, certain types of columns were taller, or more slender, or heavier than the others, and that there was a type of order to what columns went where. However, there was an amalgam of styles and decorations that crossed the traditional “orders,” as is testified in Roman writings and physical ruins.
The ancient libraries and some of their modern counterparts all have columns, either functional or decorative, or both.
Cement is one of two great gifts the Romans bequeathed to the West. The second was the arch with, together with cement, allowed the Romans to be creative in their building programs. There are several modern libraries that where variants on the arch are used. Ironically, none of the ancient libraries examined were built using the arch.
Donors
In the first centuries of imperial Roman rule, the rich were expected to subsidize local projects to better their communities. Therefore Roman citizens and only the very wealthy could afford to hold local government posts like the eponymous archonship. Besides being in government service, the wealthy were expected, as part of their duty to the state and their local communities, to subsidize services that were needed. These projects could range from erecting buildings to restoring crucial parts of the infrastructure.
Today's philanthropy is different, although it is still true that the rich ascend to the highest positions in government. Organizations can be philanthropic, but only give money to local governments, institutions and individuals through an application process, the grant. Corporations, legally considered to have the same rights as people, build stadiums and other popular institutions, which are then named after them. The rich still fund institutions that are usually named after them or have some part of the institution named for them. However, as part of their service to their local communities and the state, it is no longer expected that philanthropy is part of being rich.
Perhaps it should be.
Architecture
The ancient libraries chosen were built within the 2nd century AD. The modern libraries chosen all have one thing in common: they were designed and built at the end of the 19th or at the beginning of the 20th centuries. It was at this time that Beaux Arts style was extremely popular. This architectural design drew on, among others, the architecture of classical Greece and Rome. In any case, Greco-Roman architecture was used in all the buildings in some way.
This exhibit compares the different designs of the libraries. The floor plans, if available, are also posted.
Statuary, Busts, and Reliefs
Just like modern libraries, ancient libraries contained different types of art.
Pliny wrote extensively on the art on display in libraries, temples, and public spaces in Rome. Art not only brought visitors to the buildings but also enlivened the space. Pliny believed that users wanted to see what the authors of the works in the library looked like, and the reliefs that hung on the walls were instructive as well as decorative.
Today's libraries, like those of the past, beautify their interiors with different types of art to instruct as well as give the eye something pleasant to view.